A fire in the basement of an eight-storey apartment building in Berlin-Buckow injured eight people in the early hours of Sunday, the Berlin fire service said.
Storage compartments covering about 100 square metres caught fire, and smoke spread through the stairwell as far as the top floor. Seven adults and one child were hurt by inhaling smoke and were taken to hospital. Firefighters led some residents to safety in escape hoods.
Because of the extent of the damage, the fire service raised the alarm level and activated its procedure for a mass-casualty incident. About 120 responders and 40 vehicles were at the scene.
The basement electrical installation was badly damaged, and the building was cut off from the power supply. It is temporarily uninhabitable. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and police are investigating.